However, it's not always easy to pick the right dividend stocks -- the ones that will help you crush the market over the long run. Serious dividend investors are looking for a rare blend of high yields, rising payouts, and long-term stability. Here's a look at AT&T (NYSE: T), Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), and Seagate Technology (NASDAQ: STX). These 3 powerhouse dividend stocks fulfill the criteria listed above, each one in its own unique way.
Telecom giant AT&T has a long history of steady dividend increases. A true dividend aristocrat, Ma Bell has boosted her payouts in each of the last 29 years. Intel: Big growth, in fits and starts. AT&T takes the slow and steady approach to dividend increases, but semiconductor maker Intel goes a very different route. Now, Intel hasn't raised its quarterly payouts since the summer of 2012, as every available penny of spare cash flow is being reinvested into bigger and better chip manufacturing facilities. And then there's hard drive maker Seagate, one of only two survivors in a recently consolidated industry. Seagate took a break from paying dividends entirely during the 2008-2009 financial meltdown.